“Fuck!” Colt yells. “Dee? Dee, baby?”
My heart cracks wide open at the sound of his voice. But I don’t move. I’m done chasing.
The door bursts open, and there he is—heaving, drenched in snow, wild-eyed.
“Baby, I’m so sorry—”
“Where were you?” I croak, already knowing the answer.
He steps into the room, looking wrecked. “I know how bad this looks… Wait, have you been crying?” He rushes to the bed, eyes darting across my face.
“No,” I lie, wiping my cheeks roughly.
“Shit, Dee… I’m so sorry. After everything we’ve been through, I’m such a fucking idiot.”
My stomach turns.
That guilt. That tone. He’s done something. I know it.
I sit up, my eyes burning. “Just tell me you’re leaving me for your family. That you want Macy. She gave you what I couldn’t. Just get it the fuck over with.”
“What?No!” he says instantly, like I’ve insulted him. “I don’t want Macy. I want you.”
I scoff bitterly. “Then why were you dreaming about her? Why’d you wake up hard, moaning her name?”
His brows crease.“What?”
“This morning. You said her name in your sleep, then rolled over with a goddamn hard-on. You were dreaming about her, Colt!”
He frowns, then slowly shakes his head. “You think that was sexual? Baby, I’m always hard in the mornings, you know that.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that you were dreaming abouther.” My voice wobbles, but I stand my ground.
He takes my hands, firm but gentle. “I did dream about her, but it wasn’t what you think. I dreamed we were at Caleb’s eighth birthday. She tripped while carrying the cake and landed face-first in it. I helped her up. That’s it.”
I stare at him. “That’s your explanation?”
“That’s the truth,” he says, eyes locked to mine. “And the hard-on? That’s just my damn body being a guy. Not because ofher.”
I want to believe him. God, I want to. But I’m hurting.
“Then why’d you stay with her tonight?” I ask. “Was it to punish me?”
He sits back. “My car broke down on the way home. I saw your first call, but let it go to voicemail since I was driving. When I pulled over to call you back, the battery died mid-message. The cold killed the car completely. I had no phone, no car, and I was stuck in a snowstorm in the middle of nowhere. I walked halfway from London to get here.”
I blink, stunned. “You walked?”
He nods. “Tried to find a payphone. Had no coins. There were no cars on the road. Just me and snow. That’s why I’m covered in it. Look at my lips, they’re probably blue.”
They are.
“Jesus…” I whisper, finally seeing the frost in his hair, the red in his cheeks.
“I wanted to be here.With you. It’s always beenyou, Dee. Don’t ever doubt that.” He leans in to kiss me, but I pull back slightly, needing to see his eyes.
His sincerity is written in every line of his face. His skin is freezing, lips trembling.
My hand comes up suddenly, and I slap him.
